Registration & Code of Conduct

REGISTRATION

Registration opens on February 1st.

CODE OF CONDUCT

The rules below are current as of February 7th, 2019, and apply to the BCRC Spring 2020 Expo. The BCRC reserves the right to change these rules for future shows. We welcome your feedback on how we can improve these rules to keep our attendees, vendors, the environment, and our animals safe, and what we can do to be the best representation of our hobby possible.

VENDOR INFORMATION

1. The expo is open to the public 10am – 5pm Saturday and 10am – 4pm Sunday.

2. Cancellation Policy: Full refund up to 8 weeks prior to the show. After that, NO refunds.

3. Set up and break down: You are welcome to set up your display on the Friday evening before the expo, from 7pm to 8:30pm or Saturday morning from 8am to 9:30am. Break down begins Sunday at 4pm. Do not pack up before closing on Sunday.

4. Exhibitors must have ALL animals in place by 9:30am each day. No animals will be permitted after this time as they must be present for vet check. (see 25d for further details)

5. Children are welcome at the expo but must be supervised at all times. Please ensure your children are wearing vendor identification.

6. Any vendor who is a no-show will forfeit their table fee and table, and will not be invited for future shows. We understand extenuating circumstances, each situation will be considered on an individual basis.

7. We take the health and safety of all animals being exhibited at the show very seriously, as well as the comfort and safety of our vendors and attendees. We reserve the right to decline vendors if we feel their attendance may compromise this. It would be irresponsible of us not to consider the following:

  • Poor reputation as a vendor. We take into consideration if you have been banned from other reptile shows due to serious problems with health, treatment and care of animals, safety violations, health violations, or behaviour issues.
  • Animal abuse or animals in poor health. We take into consideration if you have open investigations against you in regards to animal cruelty or care, if we have received multiple, independent accounts from around the community with serious concerns, and feedback received from previous show attendees about the quality of animals they purchased from you.
  • Threats against the public or vendors. We take into consideration if you have made serious threats against the public, members of our community, or vendors. We will not admit vendors or guests who would compromise the comfort and safety of our attendees.

8. If the BCRC has any concerns about you vending, we will contact you promptly upon reviewing your registration. If a resolution or understanding cannot be achieved, we will refund you your full registration fee.

9. Only Sticky tack can be used to adhere signs, posters, etc to the walls. Please use only green painter’s tape to secure extension cords to floors.

SELLING & DISPLAYING ANIMALS

10. If you sell an animal, you MUST provide the buyer with at least one reliable method of contacting you, such as phone number, email address, or social media account.

  • 10a. While not a must, we highly recommending providing a care sheet for the animal including husbandry, feeding requirements, and any other information necessary for the buyer to safely and properly house and care for their new animal.

11. All non-captive bred animals for sale must be labeled wild-caught (WC) or captive-hatched (CH).

12. The following animals must have been in your care for a minimum of 6 weeks before they may be brought to the show:

  • 12a. Wild-caught
  • 12b. Captive bred purchased with the intent of resale. Be prepared to prove you have possessed them for 6 weeks in captivity by showing receipts (or other valid proof of purchase). All animals should be in good shape, a healthy weight, feeding and well acclimated.

13. No native wildlife or CAS animals permitted.

14. Green Iguanas and Savannah Monitors are no longer permitted for sale at the show.

15. Please make sure you bring an enclosure that is suitable for your animal to comfortably spend the day in.

  • 15a. The size needs to be large and comfortable enough for the animal to be viewed by the public and kept in for the duration of the show.
  • 15b. Ensure all enclosures are secure to decrease the possibilities of animals escaping.

16. Handle and display your animals according to their temperament, and keep a close eye on them while they are at your table.

  • 16a. Your animals must not leave your table area until the purchase is complete.
  • 16b. Wandering around with animals is prohibited.

17. Plants or fruits are the only acceptable foods that may be fed to baby animals who require regular feeding. Animals may only be fed by a vendor. The feeding must be done safely for the animal.

18. Hatchlings must have reached a stage in development where they are able to be cared for by a beginner keeper. Please ensure young animals are well started and feeding appropriately.

  • 18a. A veterinarian will be looking for undersized hatchlings during walkthroughs. Minimum required sizes for some common species are listed below. If you wish to sell a different species and are unsure if your animals are ready for sale, please contact us.
    – Bearded Dragons – 6 weeks/6 inches
    – Veiled Chameleons – 2” svl
    – Leopard geckos –minimum 5 grams
    – Crested geckos – minimum 4 grams 3”
    – Corn/King/Milk snakes – minimum 7 grams
    – Ball pythons, feeding well – minimum 55 grams
  • 18b. If one or more undersized animal (as per the sizing above) is found on your table, you will be asked to remove them from your table and not offer them for sale. You could be suspended from vending at future bcrc shows at the board’s discretion.

19. Keep in mind that not all members of the public are aware of the behavioural patterns of the animals you are showing. If you have an animal with aggressive tendencies, it must be kept in its enclosure for public safety.

  • 19a. If you are asked to put an animal away because it is compromising the safety of attendees, vendors, or any other animals, it will be noted. If you have been handling your animals irresponsibly and been asked to put them away or be more careful two or more times, OR if you have been handling an animal irresponsibly and someone is injured, you may be asked to leave. You may be suspended from vending at future shows at the board’s discretion.

20. No live mammals (rodents, marsupials, dogs, etc.) or aves (birds) are permitted in the venue for sale, display or any other purpose. Registered service dogs will be allowed. Please be prepared to offer proof of registration.

21. Only exhibitors registered with the show are allowed to have reptiles in the venue. For the safety of our animals, the general public will not be allowed to bring outside animals in. If you notice that any outside animals have made it past the front door, please alert a BCRC board member immediately.

SELLING FEED

22. If you are selling frozen feeder animals at the show, they are to be placed in non transparent bags so as not to offend members of the public.

23. Live feeder insects must be pre-packaged prior to the show to prevent any escapees in the venue.

PARASITES & ILLNESS

24. All animals that are displayed or sold must be free from ticks, mites or any other parasites. All animals must be in good health and free from illness. We understand that parasites and illness can be hard to detect in early stages, so for the health and safety of all animals in attendance, we recommend that all our attendees thoroughly inspect all of their animals before coming to the show.

25. A veterinarian will be doing a walk through both mornings to inspecting all animals for general health and visible parasites, hydration and lethargy etc. All of your animals MUST be on the table at this time.

  • 25a. If a sick or infected animal is found on your table or in your possession at the show during the vet inspection, they will be pulled from your table immediately and may be removed from the show floor. The sick animal will be held by the BCRC board until the end of the show day, safely away from the other vendors’ animals. You will then need to remove this animal from the venue and the animal will be prohibited from being sold at the show.
  • 25b. If your animal is found to have a serious disease or something that is highly contagious and compromises the health and safety of other vendors’ animals, you will be asked to pack up your table and leave the show immediately. You will not be allowed to continue to vend.
  • 25c. You will be banned from vending at future BCRC shows until your entire collection is proven free of the issues by a qualified reptile veterinarian . We require to see all documentation of this before you will be allowed to vend at future BCRC shows.
  • 25d. For the safety of all the animals attending, we will assume any animals not present on the vendor’s table during vet check are sick or infected. Anyone caught circumventing this by selling an animal who was not present or hidden during vet check will be asked to leave immediately and will be banned from exhibiting for a minimum of one year. A second offence earns a lifetime ban.

26. We strongly recommend that you are mindful of parasites on your animals throughout the show. Parasite transfer can happen easily when members of the public are handling multiple animals. If your animals arrived at the show parasite-free but you find a bug on one or more of your animals during the show, please alert a board member immediately. The affected animal(s) will be taken off the show floor and we will gladly help you inspect your other animals.

27. If you notice a sick or infected animal at another exhibitor’s table, please let the owner of the animal AND a BCRC board member know. If you feel uncomfortable speaking to the exhibitor, you may simply inform a BCRC member and we will investigate while keeping your identity anonymous.

SHOW ETIQUETTE

28. We strive to provide a welcoming environment to everyone who wishes to attend. All attendees-both individuals and groups- will be treated with equal respect, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and ability.

  • 28a. The BCRC does not condone unsafe, unlawful, or discriminatory behaviour at our shows. We reserve the right to immediately eject anyone, whether they are a vendor or guest, who compromises the health and safety of our guests, our vendors, and the animals in attendance.

29. Get along with your neighbours. Please attempt to settle disputes quietly and quickly between yourselves. Failing this, if moderation is needed, please find a BCRC board member to help solve the dispute. If drama or unprofessional behavior is witnessed, both parties will be banned from the show for 1 year and if it continues, will be banned for life.

30. Please clean up after yourselves. The volunteers are there to help with table setup/take down, not garbage duty. Play your part and dispose of garbage, bottles and cans appropriately.

31. If you have any concerns with a vendor or a guest, but are not comfortable addressing them directly, please let us know and we will do our best to help while keeping your anonymity. If we cannot help without compromising this, we will let you know first.

LIABILITY & INSURANCE

32. The BCRC carries liability insurance for this event to cover ourselves in the off chance an accident occurs. This insurance does not cover liability to our vendors if a vendor is deemed responsible. It is recommended that all vendors carry their own liability insurance in case of an accident. If an accident such as an injury from an animal, or a product being displayed at the show, the vendor could be liable. Hopefully this never will be an issue but we want you to be aware that it is in your best interest to carry your own insurance just in case.

Current as of February 7th, 2019, and applies to the BCRC Spring 2020 Expo. The BCRC reserves the right to change these rules for future shows. Please make sure you have the most current version of our rules by visiting https://bcreptileclub.ca/vendorrules or contact expo.bcrc@gmail.com